To Protect
by MysteryMadness
Summary: Harry has suffered great loss in his life. Most recently, losing his Godfather, Sirius. While trying to communicate to him through the mirror he was left, Harry is shocked when it suddenly takes on a very new form with a luminescent green cross embedded into it... Enter the Black Order. Exorcist!Harry. Set partly in the Black Order and Hogwarts in due time. T just in case.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Activation 

It had not been a good year for Harry Potter.

He had spent the majority of it as the pariah of the school, and the entire wizarding world for that matter. He had endured detentions that had bordered on torture, had not been allowed to play Quidditch for the majority of the year, had again come face-to-face with Voldemort and later learnt of the prophecy that apparently determined his fate, and worst of all, he had gone through the pain of losing his Godfather, Sirius Black.

It was this that lead to Harry's feelings of depression and despair. He was still raw from the loss of Sirius and spent most of his days lost in his tangled and guilt-ridden thoughts.

It was only as he was packing his trunk before the end of year feast that Harry felt the first positive emotion since arriving back from the Ministry.

Hope.

Harry could feel his heart rate quickening as he looked down at the letter attached to the crumpled brown package he had just found at the bottom of his trunk.

_This is a two-way mirror, I've got the other one of the pair. If you need to speak to me, just say my name into it; you'll appear in my mirror and I'll be able to talk in yours. James and I used to use them when we were in separate detentions._

The words of his Godfather lay before him. Harry's eyes stung with unshed tears. In his desperation to hear Sirius' voice again, Harry tore off the paper and found himself looking into his own green eyes as reflected by a neatly framed mirror.

He held it up to his mouth and whispered into it, 'Sirius.'

Nothing happened.

'Sirius! Sirius Black!'

His reflection stubbornly stared back at him.

Harry collapsed to the ground, the mirror clutched to his chest. This was it. This was his last hope of ever seeing his Godfather again. He could feel his chest constricting tightly in grief as he instinctively curled into himself, bringing his knees to his chest.

Suddenly, the wizard was momentarily distracted by a glowing green light emanating from the mirror in his hands. Harry yelped and promptly dropped the glowing object to the floor only to watch as it slowly morphed into a very different shape. The mirror first expanded, then lengthened out, making it thinner and more narrow then before. The glowing dimmed and Harry could see the new form of the object.

It was a dagger. It was elegant in its design, and was different to any other dagger Harry had ever seen. It was a shining silver with a flawlessly sharp blade and no hilt. Instead, there was a rounded handle on the end that looked to be made of a dull, rutted metal that lacked the reflective quality of the blade itself. It seemed to be shaped so that it could effortlessly glide through a person's body without even slowing down. It was beautiful in a very dangerous way.

Harry picked the dagger up and held it closely to his eyes to inspect it further. It was then that he saw an intricate green cross embedded on the handle. Something about the cross unsettled Harry; it felt _foreign_ to him somehow, but at the same time, he felt himself drawn to it.

Harry was confused. He had been around magic long enough to not be all that surprised by the random transfiguration of an object, however, he couldn't figure out _how_ it had happened. He hadn't changed it himself, and there didn't seem to have been an enchantment on it before, as the letter told him the mirror was once used back when his father was at Hogwarts. Why then, did this happen? And what was with all the green glowing light? For a moment, it had reminded Harry vaguely of the killing curse, but he couldn't figure out a relation between the two things.

Remembering that he was running very late for the feast, Harry hurriedly put the newly-formed dagger back into his trunk and raced downstairs for the official end of term. Throughout the final speeches and announcement of the House cup, Harry's mind continued to dwell on the strange object that currently lay in his trunk.

Meanwhile, in a towering black castle situated precariously on top a cliff just outside London, an exhausted-looking man in a white coat burst into a room littered with papers and empty coffee mugs.

'Komui, Sir, we've found another one – another piece of Innocence has been activated.'

The man named Komui leaned to look around the piled pieces of paper on his desk, his eyes widened, 'Well, I guess we'll have to pay it a little visit, now won't we?'

**Just a small chapter introducing my basic idea. For ages I've been intrigued with the idea of doing a crossover between HP and DGM, but I couldn't quite figure out how I was going to do it. I loved the idea of Harry becoming an exorcist, but at the same time I loved the idea of the exorcists going to Hogwarts.**

**So I figured, what the hell, I'll just do both. So in this story, I'm planning to incorporate both of these things together! (Ambitious, I know) Though the Hogwarts part won't come until a little bit later – Harry has to get boss first, obviously.**

**So, tell me what you guys think of the idea, please review so I know I'm not totally killing you all with my rampant plot bunnies, and look forward to the next update**

**Tara out.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Visitors 

Harry sat on the comfortable seats of the Hogwarts express, sharing a compartment with Ron and Hermione. He was on his way back to the Dursleys, and for the first time since going to Hogwarts, he felt a tiny bit _glad_ that he was leaving the castle.

This last year had been a nightmare. And now with his dwindling trust in Dumbledore, and what with having to endure the looks of pity and sympathy he received from pretty much everyone (except, of course, for one Draco Malfoy), Harry was rather happy about being able to escape for a few months. Of course, he realised he would most likely regret this mind frame as soon as he reached the doorstep of Number 4.

Then there was the perplexing problem of the dagger that remained in his trunk. He hadn't had a chance to take it out to have another good look at it since that first time, but he could feel his curiosity spiking. He couldn't explain his draw to the blade, and often found his mind wandering to the strange green cross on the handle.

'Harry?'

It was Hermione. She spoke with soft tones that Harry found he somewhat resented. He hated being treated like he was fragile – weak.

'Hmmm,' he decided to respond in a non-committal fashion, his mind still on the contents of his trunk.

'You seem very lost in thought. Are you ok? I- I know with everything that happened at the Ministry,' she gulped as if trying to force out her own unpleasant memories of the ordeal, 'that it's been a pretty rough year for you. But lately you seem really, well, _absent_.' With this, Ron nodded along in silent support, worry clearly etched over their faces.

Harry glanced between their worried expressions before sighing and responding, 'I'm fine. Really. I just have a bit on my mind is all.'

'That's perfectly understandable Harry, but you know that we're here to talk to if you want to, don't you?' Hermione tried to emphasise her point. She couldn't help but notice that the boy wizard had been particularly reclusive lately, ever since the end of year feast. It seemed like he had something on his mind, something more than the usual.

Harry smiled warmly at her, 'I know, and I thank you for it.' With that, he turned his face towards the window yet again to let his mind wander some more.

Ron and Hermione exchanged concerned glances.

'Harry, mate, are you _sure_ there's nothing else bothering you?' Ron had spoken for the first time in the trip. Harry knew that if he was prying then the two must be pretty worried about him.

He didn't know why he didn't want to tell them about the strange occurrence right before the feast, but for some reason, he felt some kind of connection with the dagger. It was like a bond of some sort, and there were moments when Harry could feel something like a life-force coming from his trunk. He realised that telling his two friends this would seem like he was entering the beginnings of insanity, and figured that it would just make them worry about him even more. And he didn't want that. He wanted more than anything to protect his friends from any harm, be it physical or emotional. So he decided to keep this particular mystery to himself.

So he just smiled and said, 'Nope. Nothing more than the usual, I guess.'

After that he tried to participate in normal conversation with them to ease their concerns. He smiled when on cue and laughed when Ron recounted a letter the twins had sent them since making their dramatic departure from the school. He rolled his eyes when Hermione started stressing about her OWL results and glared along with everyone else when they saw Malfoy passing their compartment.

He acted as normally as he ever did, yet there was still something nagging at the back of his head that he couldn't quite put a finger on.

The train finally pulled into Platform 9 ¾ and Harry and the rest grabbed their belongings and exited through the barrier.

After passing through with Ron and Hermione in tow, Harry glanced about the station in search of his Uncle, Aunt and Cousin. When his eyes landed on them, he froze in shock, causing Hermione to run into his back.

'Ow, Harry, what was that for?' She grumpily muttered, rubbing her shoulder that had slammed into his back. When she didn't get a response, she looked up at Harry's face and saw an expression of complete bewilderment. Following his gaze, she saw it too.

Vernon was currently in conversation with a tall man wearing a strange white beret and what looked to be a white coat in a military style. Behind the strange man was a very pretty girl with shoulder length green-black hair and amethyst eyes, wearing what could only be described as a uniform of some sort that was black with red piping and had a golden chain crossing at an angle across her chest. The two looked to be of Chinese heritage, and they both seemed very out of place next to Vernon with his very ordinary appearance and attire.

The two men seemed to be in an argument of some kind, though it was only shown through Vernon's angry expression. You wouldn't tell from the Chinese man's face, which held nothing but a calm patience for the conversation. The girl, too, showed a calm expression, but Harry could see a trace of annoyance through the subtle twitching of her eyebrow.

'What on earth…' Harry tailed off as he finally came to his senses and approached the scene. Ron and Hermione followed him, curiosity clear in their furrowed brows.

Once they were close enough for Vernon to notice Harry, he let out a grow and demanded, 'Boy, what _else_ have you been up to, hmmm, how many _freaks_ are you going to make me associate with before I'm finally rid out you?' He spat the words out in disgust, clearly very aggravated by his situation.

As often happened while in the company of the Dursleys, Harry switched to 'sarcastic mode,' something he tended to hide from his schoolmates at Hogwarts.

'I'm afraid I have absolutely _no idea_ what the hell you're on about, and as for being 'rid of me' I have to say I'm marking the days down on my calendar until that day comes, but as for now, I'm sorry to say that we're stuck with each other.' Harry normally didn't let this side of him come out in public, as he knew he would receive a rather strong punishment for it later. But at the moment, he just didn't care. He could sense Ron and Hermione looking at him in confusion, never having seen him interact with the Dursleys before.

This was the moment that Komui decided to swoop in to break the tension.

'Harry Potter, I assume? Yes, you look just like your picture.'

_Picture? Oh great, if he's some reporter wanting an interview about what happened at the Ministry, I swear I'll jinx him._

'My name is Komui Lee, and this is my dear, sweet, beautiful, caring, stunning –'

Komui was cut off by a sharp elbow to the ribs by the girl standing next to him. Harry quickly noted not to mess with this one – he valued his health, thank you very much.

'This – this is my sister, Lenalee.' Komui finished whilst gasping for breath. After a moment to regain his composure, he continued, 'We work for an organisation called the Black Order. I'm afraid that the details of this order is not something that can be discussed in such a public forum,' he glanced towards Ron and Hermione who were peering out from behind Harry, their eyes ablaze with interest, 'so I was wondering if we could talk somewhere a little more private? I've already explained the basic idea to your Uncle here,' with that, Vernon snorted derisively, 'but the matter remains one of top-secrecy.'

Ok, so now Harry was really confused. If it was something about the Wizarding world, why was he being contacted in Muggle London? He couldn't understand. It was then out of pure curiosity that he decided to go and talk to this strange pair, despite the fact that they could have been anything from a Death Eater to a magazine editor. He couldn't deny that they were suspicious, but he was just too intrigued by them to refuse.

'Ok, I'll hear you out,' he said, ignoring the displeased mutters from Ron and Hermione behind him, 'I'll be fine,' he said to them with a smile, 'I'll be back in a second.'

'Brilliant!' Komui exclaimed in a rather exaggerated manner, 'Follow me!' The strange man turned on his heel and marched towards the station's exit, his apparent sister smiling apologetically to Harry as she also followed behind her brother.

'Sorry he's like this. His over-enthusiasm is sometimes… hard to deal with.'

Harry nodded fervently in response to Lenalee's observation.

Komui led Harry to a secluded alleyway a couple of blocks away from the station. Harry thought this was a little suspicious, but didn't say anything. These two just didn't _feel_ like Death Eaters. He felt no malice coming from the two. There was something though… something he couldn't place.

'Ok, so mind telling me what's going on?'

'Of course!' Komui was still way to excited. He couldn't help it. The idea of finding another possible accommodator – he was over the moon!

'Alright. So I've told you that we're from the Black Order, now what do you know about exorcists, Harry?'

Harry blinked.

'Exorcists? Like the priests that go around splashing holy water and whatnot onto people who are 'possessed' or something?'

At this Lenalee giggled. Harry frowned at her response.

'Uh, no, not quite,' Komui also seemed to be supressing laughter, 'exorcists are so called soldiers of god – they use a substance known as Innocence as their weapons to purify and destroy monsters called 'akuma,' or demons. There's a lot more to it than that, but I'll have you filled in when we get there.'

''Get there?'' Harry repeated nervously.

'Well, yes,' said Komui like it was the most obvious thing in the world, 'The Black Order.'

'Hold on. I'm _going_ to the Black Order? When did this happen?' Harry was nonplussed. He hadn't learned anything from this conversation; he'd just heard a bunch of words he didn't recognise.

'It happened when you activated your own piece of Innocence,' Komui had gotten a more sombre tone now, 'the Innocence has found its accommodator, and that's you, Harry.'

'Eh?' Yep. Harry was totally lost now.

'Think about it. Has anything happened recently? Anything unexplainable? Seen any glowing green crosses around?'

At this, Harry froze. The dagger. Somehow, this all had something to do with the dagger.

Before, Harry had gone into this conversation with a sense of harmless curiosity. He figured these people couldn't be muggles, therefore they had to be Wizards, right? But now he was feeling a sense of foreboding about the situation. Something wasn't right. Innocence, Accommodators, Exorcists. Nothing made sense.

'Well, Harry? Noticed anything strange?'

Harry hadn't realised he had been staring in shock for a while now, so he cleared his throat and said, 'Uh, yeah, I guess you could say that. Of course, at Hogwarts 'strange' things kind of happen a lot, but this was a little… different.'

'Hogwarts? Is that the name of your school? Wow, who even comes up with these kind of names?'

'You- You've never heard of Hogwarts before?'

'Hmm?' Komui looked at him with amusement still on his face, 'No, why, should I have?'

Ok. So not wizards then. This just kept getting stranger and stranger.

'Well, no matter anyway Harry. My point is, something strange has happened, yes?'

'Yes. You could say that, I suppose. A mirror I had suddenly turned into a dagger. It has a green cross on the handle,' to show them what he meant, Harry moved to open the trunk he had still attached to his trolley and after a moment of rummaging through it, he pulled out an elegant silver dagger.

Komui took it into his hands and could immediately feel the innocence radiating from it. That accompanied by the glowing cross on the handle left no doubt in his mind.

'So you are an accommodator! Oh, that's wonderful!'

'It- it is?'

'Yep! So it's time to go!'

'Wait. Go? Go where, I have to go back to the station and-'

'No time, my boy!' Komui clapped his hands as what looked like a black snitch flew out from under his coat, 'Oh Allen, would you be a dear and open the ark for us please?'

'Of course, Komui, but I really think you should go easy on the coffee, don't you think? You're particularly hyperactive today.' A young male voice echoed from the black snitch and Komui looked completely offended.

'Never!' he hissed, 'Now come on, chop-chop, don't want to keep everyone waiting now do we?'

Harry heard a crackly sigh from the snitch, 'I suppose that's true. Alright then.'

What looked like a white diamond appeared out of nowhere in the alley and Harry took a step back. He noticed that there was a number 14 at the top of the white light.

'What is-?'

'That?' Komui finished for him, 'That my boy, is our ride.'

And with that, Komui put his arms around his shoulders while Lenalee commandeered his trolley and he was pushed forward as they stepped into the blinding light.

**So… much… dialogue… *dies* **

**This whole explanation moment was really difficult for me to write. Just because, it's obviously important for Harry to find out all this stuff, but I just want to get to the fun parts to write. But, alas, this was necessary. **

**But now (drumroll please) they're at the Order! Hurray! **


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Resolve

Harry briefly saw what looked to be a small city filled with white washed walls before he was being hurriedly dragged through another door. He vaguely noticed that the door had a piece of paper stuck to it with the word '_Home'_ written on it. The next thing he knew he was standing in a cavernous room that was quite dimly lit and that was filled with various people scuttling about, most of them wearing white lab coats.

At his entrance, however, the white-coated men turned to look at him in slight curiosity before giving him a wide smile. Harry could see the sincerity in their expressions, but that didn't sate his confusion. Wasn't he in an alley way a minute ago? In London?

While he was used to strange methods of instant transportation such as Portkeys and Floo Powder, as well as an awareness of apparation, but he had never even heard of the mode of 'bright-white-light-leading-to-weird-city-through- doors' before. This was definitely new. And weren't these people muggles? That was the only thing stopping him from directing his wand at the man gripping his shoulders. It hadn't even been a year since his last Ministry hearing; he didn't much feel like another.

After being directed through a labyrinth of corridors, Harry's shoulders were finally relinquished from Komui's grasp. The man hadn't uttered a word despite all of Harry's questioning, and as could be expected, the wizard had had enough.

'What the HELL is going on?' He demanded, looking angrily around at the siblings once he was finally free. He found himself in a room that looked as if it had been hit by a bomb – papers were strewn all over the desk and floor and he could distinctly smell the scent of stale coffee.

Komui held his hands up to placate the boy. 'Relax, Harry, relax. I'll explain everything now we're in a safe place.' Harry noted how the man had switched back to 'serious mode' and found the abrupt changes in his personality rather disorienting. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Lenalee take a seat, moving aside a towering stack of papers, so the boy moved to do the same. He figured he was finally getting some answers, and the more detailed the better.

'You are now in the Black Order,' Komui explained leaning on his desk, 'it's a safe place for all of those involved in the organisation – be it exorcists, like my dear Lenalee here,' he motioned towards Lenalee who smiled and tilted her head to the side, 'or scientists that work on new inventions in order to aid the exorcists in their battles, or finders that seek out information before sending an exorcist on an assignment. I'm Chief Komui, and I'm in charge of Head Quarters here in Europe.'

'You still haven't explained exactly what an exorcist is, you know.' Harry's head hurt from trying to retain the information he was being told. 'And you said I was an accommodator, what does that mean?'

'An accommodator is someone who can resonate with a particular piece of Innocence. The Innocence reacts to them and no one else. In turn, the accommodator can activate the Innocence to use its power. If this mirror-dagger of yours responded to you, then that means you must be its accommodator, and you alone can wield its power. The power of Innocence is the only thing that can defeat our enemies; the akuma, the Noah and the Earl.'

Behind his eyes Harry briefly envisioned the day that Hagrid had burst down the door to an old shack on a small Island. He remembered being told he was a Wizard, that he had powers that others couldn't dream of. He couldn't shake the sense of deja vu this situation was giving him. He had to pull his mind back to the conversation that Komui was continuing.

'- So if your synchronisation rate is high enough, you will be enlisted into the Exorcist division and trained as such to fight akuma.' Komui finished at last.

'Wait – you said 'enlisted'… are you saying I don't have a choice in this? That I don't get a say? Because I'm kinda busy back where I come from. A lot of people are counting on me-'

'- I'm sorry' Komui cut him off, 'but I'm afraid you don't have a choice. Our higher-ups in Central will do anything to gain a new exorcist. It's been like that since the beginning.' Harry could see sadness and a trace of anger in the man's eyes, 'It's because exorcists are very limited in numbers, we only have 18 at the moment, and the exorcists are the only ones that can actually fight in the war – '

'Hang on, war? You're at war? But I've already got one of those, which is exactly why I have to get back to my reality. People will be worried where I am, I have to help them.'

At this, Komui looked at Harry in confusion. 'It seems that your case is a little different from what we normally have. I think you should explain about yourself, Harry.'

Harry bit his lip. There was the Statue of Secrecy to be maintained, but on the other hand, these people didn't exactly seem like muggles. Maybe not wizards, but also not muggles. And if he didn't say something, they might never let him go from here.

So he explained everything. About his parent's murder, living at the Dursleys, finding out about the Wizarding world, going to Hogwarts. Everything down to Voldemort's resurrection and the war that the Wizarding World was currently facing.

Komui was shocked to say the least. 'A wizard…' he stammered, 'I've heard that there were such a thing as a wizarding community a century or so ago, but I had no idea…' He trailed off, lost in thought.

'But Harry…' He looked up apologetically, 'Central isn't going to care about a war that doesn't involve them. They will do anything to keep you here – anything. They'll go after your friends, your school. They don't take no for an answer.'

'But that's insane!' Harry protested, 'Surely it's a different matter, I've got a war to fight for, I have people to protect already!'

'Harry,' Lenalee spoke in a soft voice, her expression troubled.

'Harry, they just won't care. It doesn't matter to them. Exorcists don't get to make the choice to join the fight against the Earl or not. It just happens. So many people have been taken away from things important to them, whether it be family, friends, daily lives. Your case is definitely different, but they will just see it as another unimportant factor. They will keep you here, even if it means tying you up or threatening your loved ones…' Lenalee's voice was breaking towards the end, her eyes welling up with tears as her mind was trapped in a darker time. Komui moved to wrap comforting arms around her.

'All the Exorcists are here at Central's orders. Some were recruited at ridiculously young ages against their will, being taken away from their families.' Komui's eyes had hardened. 'But that's why I'm here. I want to make Head Quarters as close to 'home' for these people that I can. Central may see the Exorcists as tools, but I don't. I never have.'

Harry didn't know what to think. His heart went out for these people, but if what they were saying was true, then he really didn't have the option of going back. His mind fluttered through vague ideas of running away, but he dismissed it quickly. He couldn't apparate; he didn't have any floo powder, and he had no idea where he currently was. He was stuck, no matter how he looked at it.

'So – so I have to become an Exorcist. That's the only option then…' Harry looked dejected, his eyes flat. 'I'll never go back. The war will go on without me. I've just… abandoned them.'

Komui placed his hands on Harry's shoulders and looked into his eyes with a look of pure determination. 'Harry. I'm going to do everything in my power so that you can return one day. Whatever it takes. But until then, you're just going to have to train as an exorcist. I can't say how long it will take, I'll have to either convince Central or deceive them – both of which are difficult tasks. But Harry – I will get you home. I promise you.'

Harry looked into the older man's eyes. He could see the sincerity in them and the will to do whatever he can for Harry's situation. Harry nodded, his resolve forming. He would study the Art of Exorcism, he would train his body to the limit, he would do whatever it took for him to become stronger. So, one day, he would return to the Wizarding world and defeat Voldemort before it was too late.

He would return, of that he was certain.

* * *

**Annnnd. Finally the end of the explanationy stuff! Like I've said before, it's necessary, but not overly fun to write. **

**As for the time line – I know it's confusing and difficult and I played around with the idea of having timetravel and such, but it just made the story more confusing. So lets just go with both stories being set in the 1990s, when Harry Potter is set. **

**Next chapter means the introduction of Harry to the other exorcists. Finally! **


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Meeting Allen Walker

Harry's meeting with Hevlaska was… interesting.

He guessed that was the most polite word to use, though the more accurate one would probably be 'terrifying.' After being led into a giant room whilst clutching his dagger close to his chest – it was strange how the object had become a source of comfort to the wizard – he was picked up by a giant, glowing, white… _thing._ And did he mention it had tentacles? Seriously. Years of magical training just hadn't prepared him for this moment.

When up in the air, still frozen in a state of shock, Harry could distantly hear an echoic voice counting up until she/he reached the number 73%. It was then that he was allowed to return to solid ground, vowing to himself that no more giant tentacles would ever pick him up again. Still shaking slightly, he turned to Komui and gave him his best 'I will get you back for this' look and noticed Lenalee hiding her laughter behind a fake cough.

'Was that _entirely _necessary?' Harry spat in the scientist's direction.

'Oh yes,' the scientist in question answered sombrely, 'all Exorcists have to go through Hevlaska's process, Harry, you're no different.'

'I meant the part where I didn't get any warning about said process'

'Oh, well that was just for kicks, I suppose,' Komui trailed off at the murderous look Harry had just given him.

'Harry Potter'

Harry started. In his annoyance, he hadn't noticed that Hevlaska wasn't quite done with him yet.

'Harry Potter… Your future is surrounded by fog… Two paths define you – whether they can be connected is unknown… You have a heavy burden… Two worlds on one pair of shoulders… But this gives you an opportunity… If you so choose… Harry Potter… Uniter of Worlds.'

Harry started up at Hevlaska. His thoughts were reeling. Hevlaska spoke about 'uniting worlds'. If that was so, then was it possible for Harry to rejoin the fight against Voldemort after all? Could he actually do both? But the part about the 'connection being unknown' and having to make a choice – Harry guessed it wasn't going to be an easy thing to accomplish.

'Ohhh!' Somewhere behind him, Komui clapped his hands together. 'That's a good one Harry. Normally Hevlaska's prophecies are pretty cryptic. In comparison, yours is crystal clear!' _And there was nothing about destroying time. Always an improvement,_ Komui mentally added as an afterthought.

'Not my first prophecy,' Harry replied trying to exude an air of nonchalance, 'And I've gotta say, this one does seem to be better than the last one. That one's… troublesome.' The phrase _Neither can live while the other survives_ flashed across Harry's mind and he tried to banish it from his thoughts. No need to get all depressed now.

Komui nodded in understanding, having heard from Harry's explanation earlier about another prophecy. 'Well. Now that that's out of the way,' He turned to Lenalee who was still standing dutifully behind him, 'Could you give Harry a quick tour and show him where he'll be staying?'

'Of course, brother,' she replied with a smile and walked forward so she was side-by-side with Harry.

'And Harry?' Komui continued, 'I'm afraid you'll just have to keep that dagger on you for now. I'll get Johnny to make you up a uniform and holster for it, but for now what you're wearing will have to do, ok?'

Harry nodded and turned to leave, when –

'Oh and Harry? One last thing.' Harry looked back over his shoulder only to find Komui's face inches from his own, with a rather manic look in his eyes. 'If you _touch_ my Lenalee in any way, then I will have to make you very _very _sorry about it.'

Harry gulped subconsciously and took a step back from what he now suspected to be a slightly insane man and just nodded hurriedly.

'Good!' Komui grinned, 'then off you go you two, step on it now!'

And with that Lenalee led them out of the room, with a slightly shaky Harry following close behind.

* * *

Harry found himself in a small room that was now to be considered his bedroom. The walls were grey and there was a large oil painting of a dragon hung on his wall next to his bed. He hoped he wouldn't wake up and scare himself half to death in the middle of the night because of it.

The room was modest – no-where near as nice an any room in Hogwarts, but still a very large step up from the Dursleys and their cat flaps. Harry supposed he should be thankful that Komui and Lenalee had been so accommodating to him, but he still resented the fact that, essentially, he was trapped here, unable to return to the war that still raged on back in the Wizarding World.

His thoughts frustrated him to the point where he needed to take a walk to cool himself off. And pacing around his room just wasn't going to cut it.

He decided to walk around the residential area. As good a grasp as he generally had on directions, the Order was large and unfamiliar. He didn't want to get lost in the middle of some dark corridor with no idea how to get back.

It was then he saw a glimpse of white from the corner of his eye. He turned and saw a young boy, about his age, staring intently at a painting on the wall, then fixating on the one next to it, then continuing to look around confusedly.

'Uh,' Harry started intelligibly, 'Are you- are you ok?'

The boy turned sharply to look at Harry, his eyes glimmering in pleading.

'I'm afraid I'm… Well, I'm lost in the middle of some dark corridor with no idea how to get back.' He answered.

Harry, now facing the boy head on could make out his appearance. He had stark white hair and eyebrows (which told Harry that it was most likely natural… somehow) and a deep red scar running down the left side of the boy's face. At the top of the scar was an upside-down pentacle that was also coloured in that deep red colour. He was skinny and a little shorter than Harry himself, and he wore the same uniform that he saw Lenalee wearing.

'Oh well, I'm kinda new here, but I can try to help you I suppose.' Harry shrugged. He knew the way to the dining hall from here, he figured that could help the white haired boy out at least a little. 'I'm Harry Potter, by the way,' he added as an afterthought.

'Allen Walker,' the boy smiled, and Harry noticed that Allen could sport a very bright smile, something he hadn't really been expecting in a place that was apparently plagued by war. Harry also noted how not having his name instantly recognised was rather refreshing.

'So you said you were new here? What exactly is it you do?' Allen asked and Harry noticed the boy taking in his muggle attire, clearly unsure of what to class him as.

'According to Komui, I'm an Exorcist. Though this is actually the first I've heard of such a thing…'

'Really? I'm an Exorcist, too!' Allen replied before recognition flashed in his eyes. 'So _you're _the one I opened the ark for? The one near Kings Cross Station in London, right?'

'Uh, yeah, how did you…?' Then Harry remembered the voice echoing out of a black snitch-like object. Komui had called it Allen, hadn't he? 'So that was you?!' Harry exclaimed.

'Yep,' Allen laughed, 'Somehow I ended up with chauffer duty. Though I guess it's not surprising really.'

Harry looked questioningly at Allen, but the boy just shrugged it off, 'It doesn't matter. You'll find out soon enough.'

The corridor was suddenly filled with a violent rumbling sound that seemed to issue from Allen himself.

'Er,' the boy blushed, 'I guess I'm kind of hungry. I've been wandering these halls for longer than I care to admit.'

'The way to the dining hall is pretty much all I know anyway, so I'll show you.'

And with that, the two teenagers headed off towards the dining hall, both talking increasingly animatedly as they went and got to know each other a little better.

* * *

After giving their orders to Jerry, the cook (who Harry had to double check was actually _a man_) the two boys found themselves sitting in a rather secluded corner of the dining hall.

'Eh!' Allen yelped with wide eyes, 'You have a cursed scar too! No way!'

'It's true,' Harry nodded sagely before lifting up his fringe to show off the lightning bolt scar that always seemed to bring him nothing but trouble.

'Wow. I never expected to meet someone else with one…' Allen seemed to be lost in thought for a moment before adding, 'What does it do, exactly? How did you get it?'

'Oh, well. It doesn't really do all that much. It just hurts a lot when Voldemort's around – that's that bad-guy I was talking about earlier – or sometimes it twinges when he's feeling a particularly strong mood. Though those are usually followed by… er… hallucinations.' Harry wasn't sure why he was divulging every little feature of his scar or of his experiences in the war. He couldn't help but feel a sense of kinship with Allen – he had found they had a lot in common what with both being orphans, being hopes for their respective wars, their curses and their age, Harry felt close to Allen very quickly. And he felt that Allen could understand him in a way that others couldn't and wouldn't judge him when he told him that he was occasionally subjected to hallucinations. And despite the look of bewilderment on the white-haired's face when Harry had given a quick explanation that he was in fact, a wizard, and that such a thing as the Wizarding World actually existed, Allen had accepted his story quickly.

'I got it when I was a baby,' Harry continued, 'When Voldemort tried to kill me and the spell backfired. What about you?'

Allen's face darkened a little, 'I got mine when I was younger. I tried to bring my foster father back from the dead as an akuma, and he cursed me for it. It can detect akuma in the area and lets me see the souls of the dead that are bound to it.' Allen looked up from behind his fringe, as if gauging Harry's response to that. Little did Harry know, but Allen had suffered a lot of judgement from other members of the Order for this particular facet of his past – after all, the Order was made up of people killing off the akuma, the last thing they would want to hear is that one of their precious exorcists actually tried to create one.

Harry was saddened by his friends undoubtedly hard past experiences, but he did not at all judge him for it. If he was given a chance to revive his parents, then he knew he would have taken it, no matter what.

'I'm sorry about that, Allen. It must be difficult to see the souls of the dead all the time, and to have been seeing them from such an early age…'

'Ahh! It's ok! Really! I'm used to it, and it comes in handy a lot on the battlefield!' Allen waved his hands sporadically to ease Harry's sadness. He hated seeing others sad, so he put on that ridiculously bright smile again. 'And look! We haven't even touched our food, what were we thinking!?'

And with that the deceptively thin boy started scarfing down the food in front of him. Harry watched on in the same way one would watch a train wreck – it was a disaster and slightly disgusting, but he just couldn't tear his eyes away from the sight. In thirty seconds flat, the thirteen plates of food were gone; not a crumb left.

'Allen…' Harry started weakly, 'How… is that some trick you learned at the circus, or…'

'Ahh, no. I just have a big appetite because my Innocence is connected to my body.'

Harry nodded, having heard about Allen's somewhat unique Innocence from the boy earlier. 'Alright. As long as you're ok I guess.'

Allen smiled brightly at Harry, and the wizard found he couldn't help but smile back at him. It was strange how after just a few hours at the Order he had found someone who he felt such a strong connection to, such that he had never felt with anyone else before, and such that could only be gained through similar life experiences. _Maybe this place isn't that bad after all,_ he thought to himself as he and Allen finally bade each other goodbye for the night before heading off to bed.

* * *

**Awww. I just love the idea of Allen and Harry being best buds. Come on guys – they've gone through such similar things. I totally brOTP it.**

**So I know this chapter was kind of slow, but I really wanted Harry and Allen to have some bonding time. I'd imaging Harry would go crazy if he was kept in the Order without any real friends as he's pretty much totally isolated from the Wizarding World (remember what happened at the start of the 5****th**** book guys, we all know an Angsty Isolated Harry Potter is not a good thing)**

**So, please review (or even PM me if you so desire) so I know what you guys are thinking! **

**Also, I'm back at University now, so my updates will probably not be as often – though of course through methods of procrastination, it might end up being more often. Who knows… But I will try to get out as much of this story as possible!**

**Thanks for reading! **


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: The Rabbit and the Sword

After a week at the Order, Harry had managed to meet every Exorcist currently living at the European branch. Some of the older one's he found he got along with fairly well, and he treated them with a respect he would to one of his teachers at Hogwarts. However, it was the Exorcists around his own age that he spent most of his time with.

* * *

One of the best parts about living at the Black Order, Harry found, was the presence of one Lenalee Lee.

It may not be news to anyone, but Harry Potter did _not_ like being trapped in any place at any time. And as much as he told himself it was necessary, and that he would make it back to the others at some point, he found himself struggling with his new reality.

This is where Lenalee really came through for him. She often sought him out to check up on him and see how he was doing throughout the first few days of his stay at the Order. She usually brought with her a steaming cup of tea for the both of them to drink.

Harry found her presence comforting, and he found himself admitting to her that he sometimes felt that he was rather useless and pathetic for being trapped in this isolated tower while the rest of his friends fought a war for him.

"Harry," She started with a consoling tone, "I know that it's hard for you to just sit back, and in your eyes, do nothing. We've all been there before. We've all felt that kind of uselessness. Once, my Innocence was beaten up pretty badly and I couldn't activate it. I was helpless. I couldn't help my friends and I just had to watch on as they got hurt while protecting me," the girl's eyes shone with frustrated tears, "It was the most awful experience of my life. Far worse than any physical pain I've have to endure. And it's not just me. Allen lost his too, as well as Kanda and Lavi. We've all been there before."

At some point, Harry had looked up from staring at his folded hands on his knees to look into the depths of the amethyst eyes of the girl. He had no idea that the others had gone through something like that. That they'd been so defenceless.

"But it's ok to feel that way, Harry. And that's why you need to have friends that you can trust and depend on to take care of things while you're out of action. Do you trust your friends back in the Wizarding World, Harry?"

Harry imagined Ron and Hermione talking to the members of Dumbledore's Army, a fierce look in their eyes as they spoke and taught the others. He saw the rest of the Order of the Phoenix back in Grimmauld Place, and despite the absence of Sirius, he saw them all rallying and finding out information on Voldemort's movements so they could plan their next attack. He saw all of them at the Ministry that night about a month ago now, where members from both Dumbledore's Army and the Order of the Phoenix had shown up to fight with him; to fight for him.

"I trust them with my life. And with my world." Harry replied confidently, a smile tugging at his lips.

Lenalee smiled at his response, "Then it's time to let them take charge. Even if just for a little while, as you get stronger. Continue to trust your friends, and trust that they'll continue the fight with all the strength they have until the day when you can return to them."

Harry gave the girl a determined smile, "You're right."

* * *

It was when Harry was in his room, pouring over a book of spell tomes that he met one Lavi Bookman for the first time. The lively teenager burst open his door without so much as a knock to proceed him.

Startled, Harry looked up from the chapter on the correct angle of the wand to perform a perfect _protago _charm, to take in the sight of a boy of about 18 with vivid red hair staring at him through his single eye in what could only be described as awe.

"So you're the one they're talking about?!" The redhead exclaimed in such a way that it didn't really seem like a question. "Harry Potter, right? I'm Lavi, nice to meet you."

"Oh, yeah, it's uh, it's nice to meet you too." Harry was still in something of a daze at the abrupt nature of the Bookman. He wasn't exactly used to people just barging into his room without any kind of notice.

Lavi seemed to notice Harry's shaken state. "Ahh. Sorry. You see, I'm just excited. As a bookman, I love hearing and learning about new things, and you're well, a _wizard_ right? Like, an actual wizard? Please! I'm beggin' you! Please tell me about yourself!"

"Er…" Harry was still a little dumbstruck. Whilst he had had people idolise him before, Lavi's reaction seemed to be out of a hunger for knowledge. Harry could see a strong sense of curiosity behind the single emerald eye on the teen's face.

Unfortunately for Harry, 'er' seemed to be a positive response to Lavi's request. The redhead fired off question after question to Harry about every minor detail of the Wizarding World, getting closer and closer to Harry with every question he asked.

"So how do wands _exactly _work?"

"What exactly _is_ a Hufflepuff anyway?"

"But how can a hat talk?"

"You own a broomstick?! But _how_ do they fly anyway?"

Harry found himself flattened against the wall behind him in response to Lavi getting closer and closer to him with every question. He found he knew the answer to very little of these questions. He had never really questioned things like 'how does a wand work' before. He just accepted that it did. And it seemed that for every question he answered, the Bookman had five more stemming from that answer.

"How does someone turn themselves into an animal?" The redhead was now clearly violating Harry's personal bubble, and he felt very cornered by all the questions.

Thankfully, that was the time that Allen Walker happened upon the scene.

"Harry, Johnny told me to come and give you th –" The young boy blinked as he took in the scene of Lavi staring intently at Harry from about an inch away from his face, before looking at Harry's harassed and somewhat weary expression. "Lavi," Allen said threateningly, "Are you interrogating Harry? He's only been here two days."

Lavi backed away from Harry, as if only realising that he had actually gotten that close to the wizard and rubbed the back of his head in apparent embarrassment.

"Haha. Sorry, I guess I just got a bit carried away. There's just so many new things to _record_." Harry shivered at the gleam in the redhead's eye. He could sense this rather long discussion would continue at some other point.

"Anway," Allen continued, "Johnny sent me to give you this Harry, it's your new uniform." With that, Allen placed the box he had been carrying onto the bed.

Harry opened the box and looked inside. It was, indeed, the same uniform as the rest of the exorcists. Though, as like the other exorcists, it was tailored specifically for him. The jacket was the same as the others and went down to his hip, the golden chains crossing his chest and the rose cross crest over his heart. However, the pants were of a tighter fit than Allen's was, though it was stretchy enough to allow for free movement. It was closer to those of Lavi. Harry also found two holsters: The first was for his wand that went around his right forearm, under his jacket, that seemed to have a mechanism built in so he could whip his wand out at an instant's notice; The second was for his dagger and was designed to wrap around his right upper thigh. Harry figured this was probably why he had slightly tighter pants than the others. He also had black military-style boots that went up until his mid calf that complimented the outfit nicely. He had also received two training shirts that were black, sleeveless and tight fitting to go under the jacket. Harry had seen many exorcists wearing these same shirts around, so he figured it was standard dress for his division.

"Woah, hey Harry! We have, like, the same pants man!" Lavi was looking at Harry's new pants, which undoubtedly made the boy wizard just a _little_ uncomfortable.

"The same… pants..?" Harry finished weakly.

"Yeah, we're totally pants buddies now!"

Harry groaned while even Allen shook his head in disapproval. "Please, Lavi, for the sake of my sanity, do _not_ call me that, ok?"

Lavi puffed his cheeks out rather immaturely. "Fine. Wand-Boy doesn't want to be pants buddies with me. I see how it is."

Allen rolled his eyes and added, "Don't worry, Harry, Lavi's a kid so I'm sure he'll have a nickname for you soon that just as embarrassing anyway."

"Aww, don't be like that Moyashi-chan!"

"What. Did you. Call me?" The polite boy had taken on a rather dark aura from which both Harry and Lavi subconsciously cringed from.

"Allen. I called you Allen." Lavi clearly valued his life. _I'll take on Yuu-chan any day, but Black Allen's another thing entirely._

And with that, Lavi went back to his questioning of Harry, though this time, with Allen there, it was a much more informal gathering. Nonetheless, the interrogation (conversation, Harry had to correct himself) lasted many hours. Though by the end of it, the three were joking and laughing and by the time they all parted ways, Harry felt as though he may have made another friend out of Lavi, though he admitted that at times he felt the redhead only viewed Harry as a source of knowledge rather than an actual human being.

* * *

Kanda Yuu was not one to talk to people. Ever. If the situation _absolutely_ demanded it, then he could sometimes manage a non-committal kind of growl, or a 'che' here or there. But that just about exceeded his limits of communication for the day.

It was in this code of silence that Kanda sat at the dining hall, eating his usual tempura soba. And it was in this code of silence that Harry Potter sat down on the table opposite the samurai.

Harry had only been at the Order for five days now, and in that time, he felt as if he had had his brain picked and sifted through over and over again by Lavi, Komui or even the Bookman himself. And quite frankly, Harry was sick of talking. Sick of discussing the fates of the goblins from the wars in the 2nd revolution, of trying to explain the feeling of magic welling to his fingertips everytime he cast a spell, of trying to put into words exactly how an encounter with a dementor felt.

Therefore, when walking into the dining hall and seeing it almost full, Harry decided to sit where he felt he could gain the most amount of silence. And seeing an almost empty space taken up by a dark Japanese man that looked as if he wanted to do anything _but_ talk, Harry knew he had found his haven.

After sitting down at the table, Harry proceeded to eat his meal in silence. If the Japanese was surprised by the wizard's presence or by his lack of attempts to engage him in conversation, he didn't show it. Though Harry thought the man's expression seemed slightly more pleased than before. Of course, the only indication of this was a slight lessening of creases in the forehead, and Harry figured this wasn't really much to go by.

Kanda was happy. Or at least he would be if he ever used the word 'happy' to describe himself. Best to go with, 'Kanda was less annoyed than usual.' The person who sat across from him didn't attempt to talk to him once. Not at all. This was something that Kanda was absolutely fine with. It was idiots who ran their mouths off that deserved a nice taste of Mugen, but this one seemed different. Kanda found himself being more comfortable around the dark-haired boy then he would expect. Of course, he would never _ever_ say this.

It was due to these reasons that when the boy finished his meal and got up to leave that Kanda decided he might just be worth using up his speech quota for the day.

"Kanda Yuu." He said gruffly.

The boy just looked at him, his bright green eyes showed a slight shock that he had been spoken too.

"Harry Potter." He replied briefly. And with that exchange, the boy headed off.

Kanda went back to his meal, his expression unchanging.

* * *

Although Harry had met all of the exorcists in some way or another, nothing could prepare him for what he saw when he happened across the training rooms of the Order.

He had been told that his training would begin at the end of his first week, when someone called Cloud Nine returned from their last mission, so he hadn't needed to seek the place out yet.

And a part of him was glad he hadn't.

It was hard to distinguish anything more than two blurs of black and white as he tried to follow the spar between Allen and Kanda. Kanda had drawn out his beloved Mugen and was weaving it through the air with such expertise that Harry couldn't help but think of the attack as something beautiful. Then Allen, shrouded as he was in his white cloak and brandishing his oversized broad sword, was dodging Kanda's attacks with such clear precision that it looked choreographed to Harry's untrained eye. The fight went on for hours, and Harry watched, transfixed by their movements. He saw that Allen wasn't just good at dodging, and saw how he was attacking with just as much force as Kanda. It was only after five and a half hours that the two finally came to a stop. Harry was shocked to see that the both of them were barely breaking a sweat.

"Che. I guess you didn't die or anything, so you weren't that bad today, Moyashi."

"Oh. I'm sorry, what was that BaKanda? I couldn't hear your compliment over your forgetfulness of my name."

"Che. Baka."

_Ok,_ Harry noted to himself, _Those two do not get along. Don't get in the middle of that if you want to live._

"Er. That was great, Allen!" Harry said to the boy who had what seemed to be flames forming out of his body as he continued his argument with Kanda.

"Huh?" Allen said as the flames vanished and he saw Harry standing at the edge of the room, "Oh, Harry! You're here! Would you like to have a quick spar with me?"

"Uh, well…" From what Harry had just seen, he wouldn't last two seconds against the white haired teenager; magic or not.

"Don't worry, I'll go easy on you. I can just teach you the basics do you don't have to start from complete scratch when Cloud Nine gets here." With this, Kanda rolled his eyes. Apparently the swordsman didn't believe in going easy on people.

"Ok then." To be honest, Harry really did want to get started on his Exorcist training. After all, it was the whole reason he was trapped here in the first place.

And with that, Harry and Allen started their considerably slower and much less impressive spar. Allen stopped every now and then to instruct Harry on the correct stance for a particular kind of defensive move, or on the proper manner to hold his dagger. Kanda even pitched in here and there, much to both boys' surprise, although whenever Allen and Kanda disagreed on what was the best method, they would always get into a very heated discussion and usually threatened to violently maim or eviscerate the other in some way or another. Harry quickly learned that this was just their typical form of interaction with each other and that it was better to stay out of it.

By the time his short training was done, Harry was exhausted. But at the same time, he was really proud of himself. He felt he had at least grasped the basics of hand-to-hand combat, even if his execution and form weren't perfect, he knew what he had to do. And it seemed that he had gained two new teachers to practice with.

_Good,_ he thought to himself while staring up at the blank ceiling of his room, _I'm finally doing what I came here to do. I'm finally becoming stronger._

* * *

**While writing this, I couldn't help but feel how much of a Shounen Jump protagonist Harry Potter is. I mean, what with all his 'I will get stronger to protect my friends and my world blah blah' that he does. He fits right in, don't you think? **

**And while writing this I am once again perplexed by why my brain decides that 2am is a wonderful time to write a fic chapter. I will never understand myself. **

**And for those of you wondering, In order of closeness to characters that Harry feels at the moment is (from closest to least close): Allen; Lenalee; Kanda; Lavi. Lavi kind of annoys Harry, you see. It's mainly because of his curiosity, and Harry feels that Lavi sees him more as a source of information than as a friend or even a human being. He actually quite likes Kanda and they get along well – as long as Harry doesn't do anything stupid like try to **_**talk**_** to him. Lenalee is really supportive of Harry; she makes him feel like he really belongs there and she's good to talk to if he feels homesick or trapped due to his circumstances. And Allen, because like I've said, I love that friendship. **

**So that's it until next time! **

**And as I'm trying to write 2 multi-chapter fics while studying at University, updating regularly is hard. I'm sorry. I vow to continue this story (And A Sorting To Remember as well) though and will keep writing whenever I have time!**

**Review please! And thanks for reading. **


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: You are Ready

After four weeks at the Black Order Head Quarters, Harry had learnt a few very important things.

1. Do NOT, under any circumstances, engage Kanda. Just don't. It always ended in some form of pain, whether physical or psychological. (Harry was still having nightmares about Mugen slicing off all of his hair)

2. Do NOT, under any circumstances, take Allen up on his offer to 'teach you cards.' You will undoubtedly lose all the small amount of money you had.

3. Do NOT, under any circumstances, take Allen up on his offer of 'a friendly card game with no money involved' because whilst there may not be money involved, Allen will ask for something, and playing strip poker with Allen Walker will undoubtedly eliminate any dignity one once had.

4. Do NOT, under any circumstances, approach Komui if you don't see a coffee mug in his hands in the morning. Similarly, do NOT approach Komui if you DO see a coffee mug in his hands after 5pm. Both actions will result in psychological trauma and a possible Komurin attack.

5. Lavi Bookman may look innocent but HE IS NOT. Approach him at your own risk, particularly if he looks bored or is anywhere near Kanda. You will be pranked, and pranked BIG. Or alternatively, if he is near Kanda, you will be at physical risk of being harmed by flying Mugens/food/tables/BakaUsagis- pretty much anything within arms reach of the swordsman.

6. If you are going to compliment Lenalee on her appearance and/or personality, DO NOT do it within hearing range of Komui. This may result in a 2 hour lecture, or as before, a possible Komurin attack.

Once Harry had figured these things out, his stay at Head Quarters was much more enjoyable. He had gotten into a routine filled with training for his Exorcist duties with either Kanda, Allen, or Cloud Nine that lasted most of the day. As starting training at the age of 15 was considered 'very late' in the eyes of other exorcists, Harry had a lot of ground to catch up on.

Due to the nature of his Innocence, Harry had to concentrate on improving his hand-to-hand combat skills, or risk being maimed by Mugen during practice. He found his reflexes were steadily increasing, and his muscles were growing stronger every day. He found the constant threat of death really helped him in making rapid improvement, though he wouldn't exactly call the spars with the Japanese man 'fun'.

In contrast, Harry found he thoroughly enjoyed sparing with Allen. The white-haired toned down his abilities so that he was _just_ stronger than Harry's current level. This meant that Harry could still improve without having to throw his back out to save his neck, like he needed to with Kanda. Harry gained an exhilaration from sparing. It was just so physical; it required use of the body and the mind to make any progress. Physical abilities weren't something a wizard like himself would normally worry about. Yet he found being able to strengthen his body, and seeing the improvements that his training was making, created a connection to his own body that the use of magic could never offer. It made him feel _alive_.

Training with Cloud Nine was a different experience entirely, what with the inclusion of a giant angry monkey after his blood. But this training was where he gained most of his speed and dodging abilities. He learnt to duck and swerve and dive in those lessons, all of which he figured would be needed to survive throughout the length of two wars.

When he wasn't training, Harry was generally practicing his magic in a deserted room. At first he had worried that doing so would anger the Ministry and would get him into trouble for using underage magic. But after talking about it with Komui, Harry was assured that there were forms of protection that surrounded the Order, and to not worry about it. At the back of Harry's mind, he also thought that even if he was detected, it wouldn't be such a bad thing. He hadn't been in contact with the Wizarding world for a month now, maybe giving them some reassurance that he was still alive and fighting would be beneficial in some way?

Regardless, Harry felt the compelling need to make sure his spell casting was up to scratch and as powerful as it could possibly be. He never knew when his opportunity to rejoin the fight against Voldemort would arise, and he needed to be ready if Komui ever told him 'it's time.'

* * *

"You mean I'm actually going on a mission!?"

Harry found himself sitting in Komui's cluttered office once again, though this time he held a mission folder in his hands. It had now been two months since Harry had started training at the Order, and according to Cloud Nine, he was 'ready.'

"That's right! It's only a short one – just a one-nighter in France. There's been reported to be some kind of disturbance in an old abandoned church there, and we think it may be akuma. So you and Allen will go and check it out, ok?"

"Creepy. But sure. But…" Harry glanced around at the lack of white hair in the room, "Um. Where's Allen?"

"That's actually a very good question, but I'm sure he'll be-"

And with that, the door slammed open, revealing a very harassed looking Allen. "Sorry, Komui… I… got lost…" The boy was panting heavily and Harry thought he heard some kind of mumbling about 'falling down trap doors' and 'cobwebs' and 'I didn't even know the Order _had_ a swimming pool' before Allen seemed to regain his usual composure. Honestly, Harry had to marvel at the boy's ability to get himself lost. He thought he might get along very well with a certain Neville Longbottom.

Komui then went on to explain the details of the mission, and Allen nodded along. Harry supposed this would be a very routine mission for Allen. A few sightings of a level one in an abandoned church? Child's play. Though to Harry, it was the first time since becoming an exorcist that he would actually be putting himself in danger.

When Komui had finished his explanation, he looked between the black and white haired Exorcists. "Well. Are you ready?" Seeing their nods, he added, "Good. You leave in fifteen minutes. Go and pack your bags, and good luck."

* * *

**First mission time! **

**And poor Allen! Haha. I know the whole 'Allen gets lost a lot' thing might be old. But to me, it is always funny how one of the most powerful exorcists can't find his way to the bathroom. Let's face it, it's why we love him. **

**Sorry that this update took a little longer than I would have liked – it's reached that point at uni where they just hammer you with assessment after assessment, and I can feel my brain slowly deteriorating. Hopefully the next one will be sooner!**

**So as always, please review and thanks for reading!**

**Disclaimer time! (because I just realised I haven't done this yet) I never have, and never will own either Man or Harry Potter – So please don't sue me! I just love bending the characters to my will…**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: You Never Forget Your First Kill.

It took Harry all of 30 seconds to pack his bags. His heart was pounding and he couldn't stop fidgeting.

_This was it,_ he thought, _I'm finally getting to actually use these skills_.

However, in addition to his excitement, Harry couldn't deny that he felt nervous. He had read about akuma, had seen pictures of the different forms one could take, and had heard the stories from exorcists, scientists and finders alike about the abominations, but Harry had never laid eyes on one himself. He hoped he could cope with it.

_Don't worry about it, _he told himself stubbornly, _Allen will be with you. It'll be fine. _

As many times as he told himself that, he found himself just not quite believing it.

* * *

"Here we are, Harry!" Allen stretched out his arms and gestured out at the bustling streets of Paris. "First time to France?"

Harry nodded, his mouth too dry to speak. Allen seemed to have noticed the other's unease.

"Don't worry, Harry. Everyone's first mission is the hardest. Fear of the unknown and all that. But it's just a routine mission. No one's first one is too horrible." Allen decided against telling Harry about his own first disastrous mission. Confidence is key after all.

As the duo walked the streets, Harry couldn't even take in the beauty of the place; his mind was too busy dwelling on tales of demons and blood.

At last, they reached the doorstep of an old and very run-down church. The stained glass windows were shattered to pieces and the doors' paint was stripped and worn off.

"Cheery," Allen said brightly. Harry glared back. "Oh come on Harry, it could be worse-" Allen tensed for a moment and looked both to his left and right before allowing himself to relax. "Sorry, it's just when I say that something bad almost always happens." He gave Harry one of his trademark smiles.

Harry was not reassured.

"Anyway, we'd best get started. Shall we? And remember: no magic. Komui will kill you, and then he'll kill me, most likely in some very creative way." Allen motioned for Harry to open the door. The wizard did so with much trepidation.

The old door creaked loudly, the noise echoing into the depths of the church. Harry found he couldn't open it completely due to the wonky positioning of the hinges. He took a deep breath and stepped into the dark, cavernous room.

At first, it looked empty. Then he noticed a small child knelling down at one of the pews up near the front. The child was muttering something in rapid French that Harry had no hope of understanding. He jumped slightly when he felt a soft hand on his back.

"That's our target, hard as it is to believe," Allen whispered. Harry gasped as he noticed the whirling monocle in front of his friend's left eye. He had heard about Allen's curse, but this was the first time he had ever seen it activated. "The soul is his mother…" Allen trailed off sadly.

Harry gulped and turned back to the child. He looked so helpless and innocent.

Harry took a hesitant step forward.

The child abruptly turned, his wide eyes boring into Harry's own. The child started to take slow deliberate steps towards the two exorcists. Then he spoke in the clear voice of a child. Harry thought he couldn't possibly be more than seven years old.

"Are you here to hurt me?" The child spoke in English now, his voice laced with fear. Harry noticed his eyes were a deep brown, much the same as Hermionie's. He wished he didn't notice.

"You have to strike now, Harry, when it's unarmed." Allen spoke urgently in his ear.

But Harry was frozen, too shocked to do anything. He trembled staring at the _child_ that he was supposed to murder. He had prepared himself for a monster. What was in front of him seemed so _human_. So _vulnerable_. Harry couldn't bring himself to commit the violent act. The dagger clenched in his sweaty palm. He didn't make a move.

"Are you going to kill me?" The child looked close to tears.

"Harry, _now_." Allen crouched down into a defensive stance. It was clearly important that it was Harry who purified this demon.

Harry opened his mouth, but no words came out. He couldn't speak, he couldn't move. This isn't what he wanted to do. He wasn't a killer. He could not harm a defenceless child.

"Are you going to kill me, _exorcist?" _the little boy spit out the last word with menace. His eyes seemed to bulge and his body ballooned out in grotesque lumps. Harry had to stifle a yell as the boy's skin ripped open to reveal a round grey body with a smiling mask. Cannons whirled around the thing's head and positioned itself so it pointed straight at the boy wizard.

"Too late," Allen murmured.

Gunshots exploded throughout the church. It was only through Harry's months of training that he was able to dodge the bullets at the last second as he and Allen dived away in opposite directions. The remaining glass of the windows shattered to the ground and Harry had to bring his arms up over his head to avoid having his neck cut open. The price of this move was the large gashes that formed on his forearms.

Harry stared back at the abomination. This was good. He could move now. He could attack this monster. He could kill it.

"Are you going to hurt me?" The phrase was the same as before, but the voice was layered with a metallic tone that set the hairs on the back of Harry's neck on end.

"Yes. Yes I am."

Harry lunged for the creature, dagger armed out in front of him. The akuma laughed and sent out another spray of bullets. Harry dodged to his left and rolled into a graceful crouching position. Allen had jumped ahead and stopped most of the bullets with his arm.

The white haired boy nodded at Harry as he floated through the air, collecting the bullets with his claw, "You've got this, Harry."

Harry gritted his teeth and focused again on his target, ready to make a second attempt at an attack. It was one of the biggest annoyances of having an Innocence weapon that required such close range: no room for error.

He darted around the figure, pleased when he saw that it was much slower in turning then he was. He changed directions a number of times, disorienting and confusing the akuma until he make a dive right for it.

Everything moved as if in slow motion. He saw the masked face of the demon's eyes narrow as Harry ran straight for it. He saw how it grinned a wide smile and cocked its gun straight at Harry's forehead. He saw how he had a split second choice before he would be dead and gone for good.

He let his legs move out in front of him so he slid low to the dusty floor. His body glided underneath the akuma, and that was where Harry finally landed his strike.

He plunged his dagger into the underside of the akuma, using all the strength he had to destroy it. It let out a piercing scream and Harry had to flinch at the sound of it. The body shuddered and then exploded into a storm of dust, sending Harry flying and landing painfully on a pew.

Adrenaline pumping, Harry looked around the church warily. _It was gone, right? It's dead? _

It was then he heard clapping from above him. Looking up, he saw Allen perched up on one of the rafters.

"Well, I'd say that was a very good first outing for you, Harry. Could have been better, but not at all a bad effort. Though I stress to you that it's always best to attack when they're still in their human form – it tends to save a lot of time, effort and casualties."

"I- I know. Cloud Nine told me that in training. It's just…" Harry trailed off, the image of that little boy being ripped apart from the inside seemed burned into his eyes and he could still hear the child's voice clear in his mind, _are you going to hurt me?_

Harry shook his head, "It's just I guess I wasn't prepared enough for it."

Allen nodded in understanding, "That's perfectly ok, especially for your first mission. But be prepared for many similar occurrences in the future. You need to remember, _they're not human anymore_."

Harry lowered his head and nodded.

"Now, let's get you patched up. You're quite a mess if you don't mind me saying."

Harry looked down and saw his blood stained arms and his once pristine exorcist uniform covered in dust and debris. He put his hand to his face and saw he was coated in grime.

Allen laughed at the wizard's surprised expression, "Don't worry, it could be worse. Did I ever tell you about _my_ first mission?" Harry shook his head, "Well, let me tell you about the Ghost or Matar…"

And as Harry listened to Allen's story as the white-haired boy wrapped his arms in bandages and wiped his face clean, he had to agree.

It really _could_ have been worse.

* * *

**At last, action!**

**Just so you guys know, there will be a fair few time skips in this fic. But only when Harry is at the Order. I'll put a chapter here and there every couple of months really to show how Harry is progressing, but I really want to show how Harry is getting stronger and growing more and more mature due to his time with the exorcists.**

**So what do you think? Reviews are always lovely :)**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Amirah.

Harry sat at the end of his bed in the infirmary.

His arms had been bandaged properly and the head nurse had given him an ointment to help the wounds heal faster, but apart from that he had no other injuries to complain of. Allen pointed out that this in itself was a feat of its own. However, Harry couldn't shake the annoyance towards himself for not being able to kill the akuma when it was still in its human form. _I'll just have to work on it as I go…_, he thought to himself.

The room was empty and sparse except for an unconscious finder on a bed in the corner. As frustrating as it was, Harry had been told he wasn't allowed to leave the room for another four hours so the nurse could be sure he was alright. Allen had offered to stay for the wait, but Harry had shooed him out, still slightly embarrassed about his mission.

Bored, he looked around the room before spotting an old calendar taped to the wall. It showed today was the early hours of September 1st. Back before the Order, before Exorcists, before his Innocence, Harry would have been lying awake in bed in excitement over returning to Hogwarts in the morning. He couldn't help but marvel at how much had changed.

For one: Harry wholeheartedly believed that the Order was his home now. Training to be an exorcist was hard and dangerous work, but Harry felt completely comfortable here and around these people. At Hogwarts, Harry was seen as the Boy Who Lived – a famous miracle worker who was destined to save the Wizarding World; a lone hero. Whereas at the Order Harry was seen as useful, but no more so than any other Exorcist. He wasn't placed on some kind of crystal pedestal here and he found the equal footing made it easier for him to interact with other members, particularly the other Exorcists. The war with the Earl was a shared burden, it was not him alone that was expected to end it.

Another thing was Harry's growing fondness of his Innocence. He had reached the point where he didn't believe he could function without it. The constant buzz he felt of the Innocence pulsing against his right thigh was enough to calm and centre the wizard. He felt he could think more clearly due to the connection to the Innocence – like it was a piece of him that was once missing, but was now reunited with the whole. It was an indescribable feeling that Harry knew he could no longer live without.

Harry let out a sigh as he looked around the room for the tenth time.

He really wished he brought a book with him.

* * *

"Let me get this straight, you want me to stamp you?"

"Yep."

"You know that means sending a giant fiery dragon-thingy in your direction, right?"

"I am aware of this."

"You know that _kills_ people, right?"

"That, I do."

"Oh, ok, well as long as you know that then ARE YOU INSANE HARRY POTTER?!"

Harry stood in the Order's largest sparring room and faced Lavi, his expression determined. He sighed.

"I'm not insane. I just need to practice for moments when my opponent use long-range attacks. Kanda is obviously a close-combat kind of guy, Allen can be mid-range but since he's gotten his broadsword, he's leant towards close-combat, and Lenalee kicks akuma to death. You're the only one around at the moment that can send off some kind of Innocence long-range attack."

Lavi bit his lip. He knew it was true, but he still didn't like this idea. He kept being reminded that he once almost killed Allen and himself with these flames back in the ark. The thought of using them on a comrade again made him feel like he was going to be sick.

But the absolute determination in Harry's eyes made his resolution waver. He supposed he could control it if it got to be too out of hand, and there was plenty of space here in this room. And he knew he would never hear the end of it if he refused the wizard.

"Ok. I'll do it. But you have to _swear_, if you want me to stop say it _immediately_. Alright?"

"Deal," Harry smiled and crouched into the defensive stance he normally began with. "Bring it on."

Reluctantly, Lavi jumped into the air before summoning his fire stamp and creating a roaring dragon that spewed forth out into the room.

Harry could feel the heat from the monster pressing against his skin and making the air around him stale. This was it; he needed to get to Lavi. He needed to figure out this major flaw in the design of his Innocence.

He ducked and weaved through the dragon that curved and reared its head around the room. Lavi stood towards the back of it, furthest away from Harry's position. Harry could see the Red-Head's worried expression.

Harry jumped and dodged, but every time he got close to the Bookman Junior, the dragon's tail would appear in front of him out of nowhere, forcing him to use his quick reflexes to jump back in order to avoid getting charred to death.

This went on for a long time, until Harry was out of breath. The air was thick with the heat the dragon exuded and Harry's quick movements were useless against something _that_ big that could cover _that_ much area at once. His frustration grew.

It was when Harry only very narrowly avoided losing his left arm to the flames that his patience snapped clear in two.

"Arrgh! Strike!"

Suddenly, Harry's dagger started shuddering and a bright green glow came from the cross embedded into the hilt. It shot out of Harry's hands and flew towards Lavi. It bypassed the flames, either going around it or just going straight through the fiery scales of the beast until it eventually found its target. The dagger struck Lavi's right arm, knocking the Hammer out of the redhead's hand before either Harry or Lavi knew what had happened. The dragon vanished and the dagger fell to the ground, leaving an empty room and a very bewildered pair of exorcists.

"What… just happened?"

"I'm… I'm not entirely sure…"

Harry was at a loss as to how to explain his Innocence' behaviour. Did it listen to his command? Is that what happened? It followed his instructions?

Harry went to pick up his dagger, and as he looked at it in his palm, a single word bubbled to the front of his mind.

"_Amirah."_

"What was that, Wand-Boy?"

"Oh, err, "Harry struggled to ignore the new wizard-themed nickname, "It's just, a word came into my head when I looked at my Innocence just now. 'Amirah'. I think…" Harry looked again at the silver object and it felt like it was urging him to continue, "I think it's its name."

"Amirah?" Lavi lifted an arm to scratch his head. "It's Hebrew, I'm pretty sure. Means 'speech', or 'an utterance.' I wonder…" The Bookman trailed off in thought, as did Harry.

"Harry, I reackon that's probably your Innocence' true name – like how Kanda has Mugan and Allen has Crowned Clown. Though I have to admit that you discovering yours this early is quite rare. But I bet it has something to do with the true nature of your weapon."

"Its true nature?" Harry cocked his head to the side.

"Yes. _Speech_. Isn't it obvious? You spoke a command and your Innocence carried it out. Amirah – speech – utterance. It all fits. Not to mention the whole religious standing on words."

"What do you mean?" Ever since joining the Order, Harry felt he really should have paid a little more attention in school scripture, if only to understand these references.

"Well, there's a bible verse: 'For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.' It's from Hebrews 4:12. Interesting that it mentions the 'division of soul and spirit,' no? Seeing as we Exorcists divide souls from artificial bodies as a day-job."

Harry's mind was reeling. Lavi looked excited – new knowledge was always a source of enjoyment for him.

"So… you're telling me that I can command Amirah to do things for me? I can strike from long distance… and… what else?"

"I dunno. But there's one way to find out?" Lavi gestured to the weapon in Harry's hand.

"I guess you're right." Harry held Amirah up into one of the stances he had learned during training.

"_Strike that pillar."_

Amirah shuddered and burst forward coming to pierce the wide pillar, sending cracks webbing out from the point of collision.

"Woah…" Harry and Lavi spoke in unison.

"See if you can get it to come back," Lavi suggested.

Harry nodded and spoke his next command.

"_Return to me." _

Amirah shuddered yet again inside the pillar and sped backwards, as if being reversed until it came to a halt right in front of Harry's right hand, floating there, waiting to be grabbed out of the air.

"This… will make things easier." Harry murmured.

"I'll say," Lavi agreed, "Listen, Harry, I'll go tell Komui about this development. Maybe stay and practice some more for now?"

"Yeah, definitely," Harry was transfixed by the dagger in his hand. The Innocence seemed to hum happily under his awe, as if it was pleased its master found its true potential.

With that, Lavi was gone and Harry was free to try out a number of commands. He discovered that the more often he spoke a particular command, the faster Amirah responded.

"_Strike those three dummies."_

Amirah soared through the air and pieced right through the heads of three attack dummies in the corner of the sparring room. The blade passed clean through them, unhindered by a hilt.

Struck by a sudden inspiration, Harry decided to try something new.

"_Now burn them down."_

Amirah embedded itself into the middle dummy and suddenly flames burst from the penetration, expanding to engulf all three dummies at once.

"This… will come in handy." Harry said to himself weakly.

* * *

**So what do you guys think of Amirah? I really hope the whole 'Harry's Innocence' thing wasn't too complicated. I wanted to do a bit of research for it and I wanted to use something from the bible, seeing as Exorcists are supposedly the 'Apostles of God.' And I found I really liked the idea of a voice-controlled Innocence, especially because in religion, the 'word of God' or the 'word' itself is seen to be an incredibly powerful thing. To me it makes sense that _someone_ would have a voice operated Innocence.**

**And I'm updating this one fairly quickly again because I keep getting inspiration for it! This is the part I've been waiting to write since the beginning and the chapters following this are also really exciting for me, so I'll probably be pretty quick with updates for the next few ones!**

**And to anyone reading my other story (Sorting to Remember), I'm sorry I haven't updated that one in a while – it's a lot less organised and I find it hard to write it coherently because it was originally meant as a one-shot. That being said, I've written the first half of the chapter, so it shouldn't be too long until the next update.**

**I think this is only the second time I've done this for this fic, but whatever: I do not own Man or Harry Potter. If I did, I would be awesome and probably would not be swimming in student loans and crying over the lack of Man cannon updates.**

**Thanks for reading! Please review! I'm trying to reply to all of them, but alas I haven't gotten around to replying to everyone yet. Soon!**


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